In wireless networks such as 802.11 based wireless local area networks (WLAN), a wireless communication device, such as a station or access point can wirelessly communication with a remote device of the network, such as another station or the same or an alternate access point. This communication often occurs when the remote device is not otherwise being used. However, in present 802.11 implementations, the remote device being targeted is to be maintained in a completely powered on state or mode, with its radio, related wireless chips, host processor, and related components powered on, in order to monitor the communication channels for packets directed towards the target device.
Alternatively, the remote device may operate in a low power mode where some of the components of the 802.11 medium access controller (MAC) may be powered down but the radio and the remainder of the system and much of the host device (e.g., host processor) typically need to be at least partially powered up. The power consumption of the 802.11 radio, the remainder of the system and the host device utilize a significant amount of power and significantly limit the operating time of hosts powered by batteries or cells.
In low power mode a device typically would need to periodically transition to the fully active mode to check for packets directed to the device. As a result, the device has additional power requirements and further drains portable power supplies.